"Everybody is given a chance in the skilled crafts"

The skilled crafts provide equality of opportunity. Here there is an opportunity for everybody — if they want it and are prepared to work. A guest article by Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the German Central Association of Skilled Trades (ZDH).

Young people still have doubts about equality of opportunity in the German education and training system. This alarming news was revealed in a survey on "Training Day" on 8 December. News about poor results by German pupils in mathematics, PISA studies showing no real upward movement, figures for school leavers without qualifications which are still too high - bad news such as this over recent days seems to further confirm the problem.

As a master craftsman, I would venture here to draw attention towards vocational education and training. The skilled crafts offer an opportunity for everybody — if they want it and are prepared to work.

Each year, the proportion of trainees in the skilled crafts without a school leaving certificate is around five percent. Companies often provide extra support within the training to compensate for deficits in the schools sector.

44 per cent of our new trainees come from lower secondary schools — no other sector of the economy provides opportunities to as many young people with lower secondary school leaving certificates, even though policy makers in many countries allow lower secondary schools to dwindle away as sink schools or even just close them, as in Hesse. But there are also lower or intermediate secondary schools which are seeking to cooperate with the skilled crafts. Their school leavers then become sought-after trainees.

It is not necessary for anybody to have to struggle on solely with theory having gained a higher level school leaving certificate. In the skilled crafts, the solution of complex problems in practice is part of the curriculum. The ultimate goal is the craftsman or master craftsman certificate or, for very strong school leavers, even a dual or possibly a triple degree at bachelor's level.

Everybody has a fair chance of very soon becoming an entrepreneur and standing on their own two feet; well prepared, both technically and in terms of business, and with a solid grounding in an occupation with a secure future. In the skilled crafts, you can start a business in the garage — however you can also take over an established business and move into new areas with your own creative ideas. That is definitely more entertaining than establishing a food delivery start-up!

The skilled crafts also offer equal opportunities to students who have dropped out of university. Those who make the change later become holders of a master craftsman certificate and are formally recognised within the German qualification framework as equivalent to a bachelors graduate. And they don't earn a penny less on average.

'Late bloomers' who, for a range of reasons were not interested in school, can move on from being a weak lower secondary school pupil to becoming a master craftsman. They will even gain a certificate which will pave the way for them to university. Thanks to vocational education and training, nowhere provides more social permeability than in the skilled crafts.

A study by the Technical University of Cologne has also refuted the myth that the quality of training is regarded as inadequate by trainees. Company, workplace, practical relevance of training and working atmosphere all receive good grades, and young people are also satisfied with the delivery of knowledge and skills and the tasks which are assigned. This shows that companies are emphasizing attractive education and training which they can then use to appeal to applicants. This is an important aspect in view of the continued drop in numbers of school leavers.

One of the most important skilled craft projects over the next three years will be the introduction of a professional higher level school leaving certificate (BerufsAbitur). Policy makers and society have been promoting the higher level school leaving certificate and degrees for many years — the result is that this autumn more students than ever before have enrolled at German universities while ten thousand dual education and training places remain unfilled.

The project will be launched in six federal states in 2017. If this is successful, vocational education and training will have taken an important step back towards equality of opportunity with academic education and training. This project is therefore deserving of significant support from policy makers, social partners and from society.